In today's reading, one story stuck out to me, called My Lord Bag of Rice. It is the story of a fierce warrior who saves an underwater kingdom by killing a giant scorpion. Several aspects of the story have rich potential for reimagining, and would be an excellent option for my writing this week.
My Lord Bag of Rice
The story begins with a traveling warrior. He comes to a bridge covered by a sleeping dragon. Instead of running away, or waking the dragon for battle, the warrior simply walks over the dragon to get to the other side. He has made it several paces from the bridge when he hears a voice call out to him. The dragon has transformed into a king! The king explains that he was seeking a brave man to kill the centipede that is terrorizing his kingdom. The warrior accepts this challenge, and travels with the king to his underwater palace, where they await midnight and the arrival of the centipede. The warrior kills the centipede with only three arrows. He is named a hero, and given a myriad of gifts by the king, including a bag of rice that never empties.
As I read, I had several doubts about the story. First, I initially mistrusted the king. It seemed that he was trying to trick the warrior, especially once he was lured into the underwater palace. Then, the description of the centipede's death seemed rather thin to me. It was no major battle scene, but the shooting of a few arrows. If I were to rewrite this story, I would further develop the king's character (although he would ultimately be trustworthy). I would also add more exciting details to the battle between the warrior and the centipede. Perhaps, the story could also benefit from a more modern retelling.
I really like how you take these notes and constantly are thinking about what you would do to improve the stories as you read them. I often find myself reading a story several times before I can figure out how to adapt it to something that suits me, so the ability to see that vision as you read the story for (what I assume was) the first time.
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